fibr(o)-
Fibres.
[Latin fibra, fibre.]
The names of many medical conditions contain this form. Examples are fibrosis, the thickening and scarring of connective tissue, usually because of injury; fibrositis, an inflammation of fibrous connective tissue, typically causing back pain; fibrillation, the uncoordinated contraction of muscle fibres in the heart, giving rise to an irregular and inefficient heartbeat; a fibroid is a fibrous growth in the uterus; a fibroma is a benign tumour of connective tissue. In geology, fibrolite is a variety of sillimanite, a felted fibrous mass of small crystals.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.